On February 3, during Tuesday's trading session, the combined market capitalization of South Korea's two most valuable companies—Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix—soared past US$1.11 trillion. This milestone underscores the AI investment frenzy's pivot towards infrastructure, positioning South Korean chipmakers as pivotal players within the industry's supply chain. Presently, South Korea has emerged as a crucial supplier for global tech titans such as Nvidia.

Yiping Liao, a portfolio manager at Franklin Templeton Global Investments, observed that South Korea's intense focus on specific niches within the tech supply chain, coupled with an unprecedented cycle of memory chip shortages, has fueled the extraordinary stock price rally of Hynix and Samsung.

Simon Woo, head of Korea research at BofA Global Research in Seoul, forecasts that the memory chip supercycle will persist until 2027. He emphasized that memory chips have now evolved into a strategic linchpin for U.S. tech giants, marking a significant departure from their former status as replaceable parts for PCs and smartphones—a transformation that has significantly enhanced the memory industry's standing.

Timothy Moe, Goldman Sachs' chief Asia-Pacific equity strategist, anticipates that the semiconductor sector will contribute roughly 60% of the anticipated earnings growth in South Korean stocks this year.